[The following is from the Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity, David W. Cloud, copyright 1994, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org. This material cannot be placed on BBC or web sites without express permission of the author.]

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST. The Unitarian-Universalist Association of Congregations in North America (with churches in the U.S. and Canada) is one of the most liberal of the denominations, being more akin to a society of free thinkers than a traditional Christian denomination. The present denomination was formed from a merger of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America in May 1961.

The Universalists, which were formed in the late 1700s, denied the miraculous element in Scripture, and rejected such important Bible doctrines as total depravity of man, the Trinity, and eternal punishment in Hell.

The modern roots of the Unitarians can be traced to the rationalism and mysticism of the 17th and 18th centuries, though they claim to have roots as far back as the Gnostics of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. In the second half of the 18th century, many of the Congregational churches which had become apostate moved toward Unitarianism. They denied the deity of Jesus Christ and the perfect inspiration of the Scriptures. These Unitarian congregations increased in number throughout the 1800s. The American Unitarian Association was formed in 1925.

The chief feature of the ministry of the Apostles was their exaltation of Jesus Christ as only Lord and Savior, and their commitment to a body of absolute truth which they termed "the Faith Once Delivered to the Saints" (Jude 3). The chief feature of the Unitarian-Universalist Association, though, is its rejection of Christ’s deity and sole saviorship, and their denial of biblical absolutes. According to the Unitarian-Universalist 1985 revised statement, no minister, member, or congregation "shall be required to subscribe to any particular interpretation of religion, or to any particular religious belief or creed." Four of their seven Principles and Purposes are these: The inherent worth and dignity of every person; a free and responsible search for truth; the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

According to the Associated Press (June 25, 1996), there are 1,040 Unitarian-Universalist congregations with 205,000 members.

The Unitarian-Universalist Association of Congregations became the first denomination to call for the legal recognition of same-sex marriages. The resolution was passed at its annual meeting at the end of June 1996. "With the vote, support of same-sex marriage becomes official policy of the church. Each congregation decides for itself whether to endorse the marriage of gays and whether to host such weddings" (Associated Press, June 25, 1996).

As early as 1970, the Unitarians called for an end to discrimination against homosexuals and bisexuals. In 1980 Unitarians resolved that homosexuals should be ordained.

[This study is from the Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity, David W. Cloud, copyright 1994, Way of Life Literature, 1701 Harns Rd., Oak Harbor, WA 98277. dcloud@wayoflife.org. This material cannot be placed on BBC or web sites without express permission of the author.]